Photos from May 2022 by Stacie Joy
A man who reportedly gunned down a rival gang member in May 2022 has been sentenced to 15 years to life in state prison.
On Friday, Manhattan D.A. Alvin L. Bragg Jr. announced the sentencing of 20-year-old Zymir Humphrey for murdering 21-year-old Brandon Atkinson on May 15, 2022, on Third Street and Avenue D. That shooting set in motion a series of retaliatory deadly shootings.
According to court documents and statements, the case involved members of rival local gangs, Up the Hill and Down the Hill.
Per the DA's office:
In May of 2022, an associate of Up the Hill was the victim of a robbery and Humphrey, who was a member of Up the Hill, believed that the rival gang was responsible. Atkinson, although an associate of Down the Hill, was not part of the robbery.
As admitted in the defendant's guilty plea, on May 15, 2022, at approximately 11:15 p.m., Atkinson was at a deli near East Third Street and Avenue D. Humphrey traveled to the area, which was believed to be territory belonging to the rival gang, and shot Atkinson in the back of the head. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.U.S. Marshals arrested Humphrey in West Virginia in July 2022 and extradited him back to NYC. This past November, he pleaded guilty in New York Supreme Court to one count of Murder in the Second Degree.
"Zymir Humphrey shot and killed Brandon Atkinson in a cruel and vicious act of gun violence," Bragg said in a statement. "Senseless cycles of retribution continue to fuel gun violence that destabilizes our communities and, far too often, results in the deaths of young New Yorkers. As Manhattan district attorney, tackling gun violence remains my top priority."
Atkinson's death was part of a sprawling gang feud that also saw two local residents murdered in the Bronx. According to published reports, LES resident Nikki Huang, 23, allegedly had her purse stolen by a member of the Down the Hill gang. Huang, who was said to have friends in the Up the Hill gang, told them about the snatching.
As the Post reported, the payback started with Atkinson's death.
Later that night, two Up the Hill members were shot and wounded on Pike Street. Huang and a friend from middle school, Jesse Parrilla, 22, were also kidnapped and executed that night near the Pelham Split Rock Golf Course in the Bronx.
Parrilla, a former college basketball player who lived with his mother on 12th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue, was said to be an innocent bystander. According to press reports, he simply gave a longtime friend a ride.
Three suspects have been charged for the murders of Huang and Parrilla. Those cases remain active. A fourth suspect remains at large.
Before the sentencing on Friday, Humphrey offered an apology. "I would like to apologize to Nikki Huang's family because, in all reality, she didn't have anything to do with [any] of this. Jesse's family also," the Daily News reported.
While being led out of the courtroom, Humphrey told someone in attendance to "smoke that weed," per press accounts.
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A memorial for Brandon Atkinson on the corner of Third Street and Avenue D from May 2022
Previously on EV Grieve:
• After deadly shooting, fearful residents speak out about the drug activity on Avenue D & 3rd Street
1 comment:
> Atkinson’s killing stemmed from tensions between two Lower East Side gangs separated by a small “hill” in the road on Grand St. near Madison St. Humphrey was a member of Up The Hill, and Atkinson’s brothers were members of Down The Hill, the Daily News previously reported.
Tribalism is truly ridiculous, incomphrensibly awful
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